State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., speaks at a committee hearing. (Courtesy Oversight Committee)

House committee investigating Dem governors for 'illegal alien' Medicaid spending

(The Center Square) – The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is launching an investigation into the “impact of the Biden Border Crisis” on Medicaid, saying it cost … more

Sarah Roderick-Fitch | The Center Square | 9/4/25

Will Gov. Ferguson opt Washington state in on federal tax credits for school choice?

(The Center Square) – Two months after Congress passed the country’s first federal tax-credit scholarship program, it remains to be seen if Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson will opt the … more

Carleen Johnson | The Center Square | 9/4/25

Washington commercial real estate tax revenue down to pre 2020-levels

(The Center Square) - A Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council report found that the state’s commercial real estate excise tax revenue has fallen to pre-2020 levels before the … more

TJ Martinell | The Center Square | 9/4/25

The White Pass Ski Area shared this photo showing the Wildcat Fire on Thursday.

Wildcat Fire leads to campground, Pacific Crest Trail closures

Residents of Goose Prairie and Bumping Lake Road are now on a Level 2 "be ready" evacuation notice because of the nearby Wildcat Fire. Yakima Valley Emergency Management updated the evacuation … more

By Alexander Banks / Yakima Herald-Republic (TNS) | 9/4/25

Glacier National Park. (Keila Szpaller/The Daily Montanan)

Iowa woman dies in Glacier National Park after fall on Highline Trail

A woman died while hiking Wednesday in a group on the Highline Trail in Glacier National Park. She tripped and sustained fatal injuries from a fall, Glacier said in a news release. She has been … more

By Daily Montanan staff | 9/4/25

Even stealing scrap wood can lead to charges of trespassing and theft.

Subject caught stealing wood off Weyerhaeuser land in Grays Harbor County

On Monday, Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to a theft in progress off U.S. Highway 101, south of Cosmopolis. A subject was observed trespassing and stealing wood on … more

By The Daily World | 9/4/25

Former football team volunteer arrested on suspicion of sex crimes against a child in Cowlitz County

A former volunteer with the Kalama High School football team has been arrested on suspicion of committing multiple sex crimes involving a child; the school district says no students were in harm's … more

Matt Esnayra / The Daily News | 9/4/25

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson gives his state of the city address at Franklin High School in Southeast Portland on Friday, May 2, 2025.

Portland mayor suggests Trump could crack down on city’s homelessness crisis, solicits donations for new shelters

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson asked residents Wednesday to donate their time and money to his newly launched homeless shelters, suggesting stark consequences for the city should it fail to tame the … more

Shane Dixon Kavanaugh, Lillian Mongeau Hughes / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 9/4/25

Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove speaks during a press conference at the High Peak Trailhead on Tiger Peak Mountain on Tuesday, Aug. 26. (Photo by Emily Fitzgerald/Washington State Standard)

Washington state plan to conserve 77,000 acres of older forests draws fire

Washington loggers, school leaders and conservation activists on Wednesday decried the state lands commissioner’s proposal to set aside 77,000 acres of older forests while opening 29,000 acres … more

By:Emily Fitzgerald / The Washington State Standard | 9/4/25

Portland mayor abandons bike event as pro-Palestinian, anti-ICE protesters shout him down

Pro-Palestinian protesters forced Portland Mayor Keith Wilson to abandon a scheduled Q&A in Southeast Portland on Wednesday, video footage shows. The weekly Bike Happy Hour event is billed … more

Fedor Zarkhin / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 9/4/25

A sign and fence at the Green Hill School for juvenile offenders, in Chehalis, Washington. (Photo by Jake Goldstein-Street/Washington State Standard)

Ex-head of Washington state youth prisons alleges whistleblower retaliation in $4.75M claim

The former head of Washington’s beleaguered juvenile detention system alleges she was fired in retaliation for repeatedly warning of the dangers of overcrowding in the state’s youth … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 9/4/25

Washington Supreme Court will decide fate of the natural gas initiative

The Washington Supreme Court will issue the final say on a voter initiative passed last November that took aim at Washington’s natural gas and energy policies. In an order Wednesday, Chief … more

Amanda Zhou / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 9/4/25

Washington state joins West Coast alliance to give COVID vaccine guidance

Washington is teaming up with Oregon and California to form an alliance that will soon issue recommendations around COVID-19 vaccinations, an effort to counter last week's decision from federal … more

Elise Takahama / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 9/4/25

Can I get a ticket for keeping up with traffic in Washington state? What state law says

While traveling on highways in Washington state, it’s not uncommon for drivers to go 10 miles or more above the speed limit. What happens if you hit the accelerator to keep up with the … more

Daniel Schrager / The Bellingham Herald (TNS) | 9/4/25

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrest a fugitive in 2020.

Unauthorized immigrant population in Washington state has grown, report says. Here’s how much

Washington’s unauthorized immigrant population grew by 25% between 2021 and 2023, a new report estimated. That’s in line with national numbers for that group, which “reached an … more

Sara Schilling / The Olympian (TNS) | 9/4/25

1 killed in Wednesday night crash on Highway 18 outside Auburn

A man from Kent died in a crash on Highway 18 outside Auburn late Wednesday, Washington State Patrol said. The Kent man, 52, was driving west on Highway 18 just east of the Green River bridge … more

Kai Uyehara / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 9/4/25

The Grande Ronde River flows through the Blue Mountains southwest of La Grande at the Red Bridge State Wayside. The park is near the proposed Qapq

Oregon wildlife area would make history with tribal-state partnership on ceded lands

In all of Oregon’s natural areas, this would be a first. A proposed wildlife area in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon would be co-managed by state officials and the Confederated … more

Jamie Hale / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 9/3/25

Electric vehicle charging station in the parking lot of the Montgomery Park office building in Northwest Portland. Generous Oregon rebates and federal credits for buying and leasing an EV are about to expire.

Buying (and owning) an EV in Oregon could soon get a lot more expensive

The news isn’t good for many potential buyers of electric vehicles in Oregon. Not only will it be more expensive to buy an EV starting next month thanks to the expiration of generous state … more

Gosia Wozniacka / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 9/3/25

Motorcyclist dies after crash in NE Portland; ambulance transporting victim also crashes

A motorcyclist is dead after a collision in Northeast Portland, followed by the ambulance in which the rider was being transported also crashing, police said. The motorcyclist, whose identity … more

The Oregonian / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 9/3/25

Oregon officials say they had ‘no choice’ but to euthanize cougar wandering through neighborhoods

Sheriff’s deputies on Monday euthanized a cougar near Corvallis after determining it posed a threat to humans, officials said. The deputies located the juvenile male cougar around 3:40 … more

Tatum Todd / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 9/3/25